A Kevin Durant trade this offseason has now come close to being an imminent reality as multiple sources say he could be traded even before the 2025 NBA Draft. It has now become a question of ‘when and where’ instead of ‘if’ Durant gets traded this summer.
A recent report from ESPN claimed that Durant had listed his top three destinations and conveyed them to the front office: the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Houston Rockets.
While the Spurs rejected the Suns’ most recent counteroffer for Durant, the Rockets seemed like a viable option for Durant. But, according to ESPN’s Tim McMahon, the Rockets also seem to have reached an impasse with the Suns over what is a reasonable price for Durant. On Brian Windhorst’s Hoops Collective podcast, McMahon spoke about the situation.
“I’m best sourced in Houston, I think they would really like to have Kevin Durant, at what they consider to be a reasonable cost, which I don’t think the Suns are considering to be an appealing return.”
The Rockets have likely refused to include Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and other members of their young core to be included in this trade. He goes on to list the other options for Durant, like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, or the Los Angeles Clippers.
“If you’re one of these teams who aren’t on KD’s preferred list of destinations, how much are you willing to pay to get a guy who the threat is that he’s a rental. Now Toronto’s had a lot of success with the rental before, but Toronto does not have that infrastructure in place as they did when they got Kawhi. You could argue Minnesota, hey, conference finals last two years.”
To be fair, he’s right to point out that the Raptors no longer have pieces like Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby (who they had when they traded for Kawhi Leonard) to appeal to a star player like Durant. So, Toronto seems like a less likely destination for Durant.
However, the Timberwolves and the Clippers may be dark horses in this race to get Kevin Durant. The Clippers may have a big decision if they decide to get into the sweepstakes for Durant. They would have to decide between Kawhi Leonard, an injury-prone star who hasn’t seen as much success with the Clippers as he did in his previous teams, or Norman Powell, the veteran third option on this team who stepped up in Leonard’s absence last season, especially.
One of these players will have to be included since the Clippers will have to match Durant’s salary. Additionally, they may have to trade one or both of their first-round picks in 2029 and 2031.
The Timberwolves, who reportedly have been interested in trading for Durant, could elevate from a confirmed playoff berth to a championship contender in the West if they get Durant to pair up with Anthony Edwards. They will have to decide between Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert on whom to include in the trade, either of whom would be an easy giveaway for Durant. Hence, they could be a serious contender to trade for Durant.
